Committees and Caucuses

Representative Miller is currently serving her sixth term after first being elected to office in November 2002. She proudly sits on three committees: the Committee on House Administration, the House Committee on Homeland Security, and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Committee on House Administration

For the 113th Congress, Representative Miller was appointed to serve as Chairman of the Committee on House Administration (CHA), and is currently serving as the only woman chair of a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.  CHA was established in 1947 and is charged with the oversight of federal elections and the day-to-day operations of the House of Representatives. 

The Committee has the responsibility to ensure that the House of Representatives runs in an effective and efficient manner which is vital as we work to meet the many challenges facing this great nation.  Most importantly, this committee has jurisdiction over the federal election process, and as Chairman, Representative Miller is committed to making certain that the Committee enacts rules to ensure our nation continues to have open, free and fair elections.

Representative Miller’s past record and work experience as Chief Elections Officer during her time as Michigan’s Secretary of State will assist in accomplishing the many challenges set before our nation and ensuring that America effectively leads in the area of elections as that is the foundation for our democracy. 

Committee on Homeland Security

Representative Miller has served on the House Committee on Homeland Security since March 2008.  Representative Miller is currently serving as Vice Chair of the full House Committee on Homeland Security, and will continue to serve as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security for the 113th Congress, a position she has held since January 2011.  She is also serving as a member of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security. 

The federal government’s first and foremost responsibility is to provide for our national defense, and our common defense begins with a secure homeland.  The Committee is charged oversight of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ensuring the primary focus remains on the protection of the American people. 

As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, Representative Miller has exercised effective oversight and created legislative efforts to ensure our nation’s borders are adequately secured against illegal immigration, drug and human smuggling, as well as the exploitation of the legitimate visa process.  During her tenure as Chairman in the 112th Congress, Representative Miller crafted important oversight legislation, such as to require DHS to produce a plan to secure the border and ensure the right mix of manpower, technology, and infrastructure is implemented to meeting the mission of a secure border.  In addition, Representative Miller crafted legislation to increase oversight over the maritime security mission of DHS, as well as strengthening maritime security at home and abroad as we trade with our trusted partners.

Within her roles on the Committee in the 113th Congress, Representative Miller will continue to push needed legislation that will ensure we implement strong protections for our borders and global supply chain.  Our nation’s borders can and must be secured, and her goal will be to see that DHS is making progress to confront the threats of terrorism, cyber security, and mismanagement of the Department in these areas vital to our national security and continuing to work towards a secure border and a safer homeland.

Michigan’s 10th Congressional District is a border district.  It is home to the Blue Water Bridge which is the second busiest commercial border crossing on the northern tier, Selfridge Air National Guard Base which has expanding missions in the area of homeland security, Coast Guard stations at Selfridge, Port Huron, and Harbor Beach, it borders Chemical Valley which is one of the largest collections of petro-chemical operations in North America, the CN Rail Tunnel which is the busiest rail artery in the U.S., and is where the genesis of important trade arteries interstates I-94 and I-69.

Miller has focused her efforts on building a stronger presence of homeland security assets at Selfridge, enhancing the security of our airways, roadways, railways, and waterways, in addition to securing our food and water supplies by enhancing Northern Border security.

The Committee on Homeland Security was established in 2002 to provide congressional oversight for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and better protect the American people against a possible terrorist attack.  Many of the programs at Selfridge and the armed service reserves throughout the 10th Congressional District fall under the purview of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  The Committee on Homeland Security provides oversight for the department and handles issues dealing with transportation security, border and port security, critical infrastructure protection, cyber security, and science and technology, emergency preparedness, emerging threats, intelligence and information sharing, investigations, and management and procurement.

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

In 2007, Representative Miller was appointed to the full House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.  Representative Miller is also a member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, as well as the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.  Representative Miller is the only member from Michigan serving on this Committee, and takes seriously the need to advocate on behalf of Michigan to ensure that the state is returned its fair share of tax dollars for many infrastructure needs.  She believes that all avenues of transportation, whether on land or on the sea, are important to improve, maintain, and support surrounding economic growth.

Michigan’s 10th Congressional District is host to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, MI which is the second most traveled border crossing in North America.  It is a vital component of economic expansion, not just for the district, but for the region, state, and nation.  This Committee allows her to offer enhanced oversight and influences to ensure this portal and others like it receive the federal attention they need and deserve.

The Committee also holds jurisdiction over water quality issues. Throughout her career in public service, protecting the Great Lakes has been one of Representative Miller’s principal advocacies.  She is a vocal proponent for policy designed to preserve and protect Michigan’s most cherished natural resource.

The Committee has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation: aviation, maritime and waterborne transportation, highways, bridges, mass transit, and railroads.  The Committee also has jurisdiction over other aspects of our national infrastructure, such as clean water and waste water management, the transport of resources by pipeline, flood damage reduction, the management of federally owned real estate and public buildings, the development of economically depressed rural and urban areas, disaster preparedness and response, and hazardous materials transportation.

The Committee’s broad oversight portfolio includes many federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard, Amtrak, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the General Services Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, and others.